Summer camps are the platonic ideal movie setting. You’ve got an isolated location in the wilderness, the potential for a weird cast of characters and the storytelling boon of teenhood. Almost all summer camp movies touch on the ever-entertaining topics of crushes, sexual tension, puberty and freedom away from parents. So it’s not surprising that sleepaway camp is an entire movie genre unto itself.
But what about Jewish summer camp movies? Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be too many camp films which exclusively touch on spending all summer with Joshs and Rachels, competing in Color War, bunks and buildings with Hebrew names, outdoor Shabbat services in the white clothes you packed just for Friday nights, prayers with special camp melodies and going head-to-head in the GaGa pit.
Still, as actress Molly Gordon once said, “Summer camp is inherently Jewish.” With that in mind, here are 15 movies about summer camp, ranked (subjectively) by their Jewishness.
15. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Wes Anderson’s movie about a Khaki scout and his penpal running away together into the wilderness is beloved. But, with the exception of Jason Schwartzman, Jared Gilman and Bob Balaban, it’s not very Jewish. Sam and Suzy meet in church and later climb the steeple to avoid a flood. (Sure, there’s a Noah’s Ark reference in there. But it happens in a church!) The movie takes place on a fictional island off of New England which, as we all know, is WASP central. And there is nothing less Jewish I can think of than Wes Anderson’s perfectly symmetrical and fanciful trademark cinematic style.
Stream “Moonrise Kingdom” on Prime Video.
14. Camp Nowhere (1994)
The premise of “Camp Nowhere” is that a bunch of teens, with the help of a drama teacher, find a way to create a summer camp with no parents, counselors or rules. Of course, Jewish summer camp doesn’t have parents except on Visiting Days. But Jewish summer camp necessitates counselors and rules. Without counselors, how would a camper have the core experience of developing a crush on an older, probably Israeli, Jewish teen? Who would lead Color War? And without rules, Judaism would not exist.
Stream “Camp Nowhere” on Disney+.
13. Camp Rock (2008)
For a performing arts camp, “Camp Rock” has a mysterious lack of outwardly Jewish campers. I know it’s a Disney Channel movie, but come on! Alyson Stoner’s character Caitlyn Gellar has the potential to be Jewish with her Ashkenazi-adjacent last name — think fellow Jewish TV characters Monica and Ross Geller and Paris Geller. But regardless, Jewishness isn’t a part of the character. Besides, even if “Camp Rock” did have any conspicuous vibes, the inclusion of the Jonas Brothers would bring them way, way down.
Stream “Camp Rock” on Disney+.
12. Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010)
“Camp Rock” and “Camp Rock 2” are interchangeable on this list. See above for their levels of Jewishess.
Stream “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” on Disney+.
11. Friday the 13th (1980)
In “Friday the 13th” a bunch of counselors are preparing for the reopening of Camp Crystal Lake when a mysterious assailant starts murdering them. The movie has been out for 44 years now, but spoiler alert! The murderer is Mrs. Voorhees, a mother who’s son Jason drowned in the lake after his counselors snuck away to have sex. She’s returned to take vengeance on the current counselors, who also keep sneaking away to have sex. Camp Crystal Lake definitely isn’t a Jewish summer camp, but the horny energy of Camp Crystal Lake is definitely true to the Jewish summer camp experience. Plus, the character of a mother who would commit murder for her son does indeed have Jewish mom energy.
Stream “Friday the 13th” on Max.
10. Addams Family Values (1993)
Camp Chippewa plays an important role in “Addams Family Values,” and thus the movie claims a spot on this list. While the camp itself doesn’t really have Jewish vibes, Wednesday’s love interest Joel Glicker definitely does. For one, Joel is played by Jewish actor David Krumholtz. And, he’s the embodiment of the word nebbische. Joel wears glasses and uses an inhaler. He carries “A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking around with him. And even though he’s a child he somehow has the thick New York accent of a 90-year-old named Morty.
Stream “Addams Family Values” on Paramount+.
9. But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
Conversion therapy camp is 1000% not Jewish. But Natasha Lyonne realizing she’s a lesbian and then breaking her girlfriend out of conversion therapy camp? Yes, that is indeed Jewish. Here’s my reasoning: The world of “But I’m a Cheerleader” is pure Americana. It’s football players and cheerleaders, strict gender roles and Christianity. The existence of poor, sweet Joel Goldberg at True Directions, who wears a kippah and introduces himself, “I’m Joel, I’m a Jew and uh… homosexual,” serves as a foil to the world around him. So when Megan, who does identify as a good, church-going Christian, decides to accept her queerness and escape the camp, it’s a rejection of that Christian hegemonic world. Plus, Natasha Lyonne brings a little bit of Jewishness to every role she plays — I don’t care if Megan wears a cross!
Stream “But I’m a Cheerleader” on Prime Video.
8. Camp (2003)
“Camp” tells the story of a bunch of theater kids being theater kids at a performing arts summer camp in upstate New York. It’s kind of like the movie “Theater Camp,” except the emphasis is more on the kids than the counselors. Unlike the movie “Theater Camp,” the movie doesn’t feel particularly Jewish save a cameo by iconic composer STEPHEN SONDHEIM who plays HIMSELF!
7. Heavyweights (1995)
If there’s such a thing as a Jewish weight loss camp, Camp Hope in “Heavyweights” seemingly comes close. The movie, which was co-written by Jewish writer-director Judd Apatow, tells the story of overweight kid Gerry Garner. (Though I don’t believe Gerry is ever made to be an explicitly Jewish character, his father is named Maury and played by a mustachioed, glass-wearing Jeffrey Tambor. So you do the math.)
At first, Gerry and his fellow campers love Camp Hope because of its fun activities, enthusiastic counselors and their own ability to smuggle in junk food. Though none of that is Jewish in-and-of itself, the camp is owned by a couple named Harvey and Alice Bushkin. If those names don’t set off alarm bells for potential Jewishness, the fact that Harvey and Alice are played by beloved Jewish comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara will. (Jerry attended Jewish summer camp at Surprise Lake Camp!)
The conflict of the film comes when the Bushkins file bankruptcy and have to sell Camp Hope to a fitness-crazed businessman named Tony Perkis Jr. But never fear, Ben Stiller plays Tony Perkis Jr., bringing his own inately Jewy vibes to the movie.
What’s more, for Hey Alma contributor Arielle Kaplan, fat camp actually felt more Jewish than Jewish sleepaway camp. “Judaism heavily emphasizes kehilla, or community,” Arielle wrote in 2019, emphasizing that she was able to find kehilla at fat camp. “As we understand it, being a member of the tribe comes with providing for every member’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs. I didn’t find this at Jewish camp, where I was made to feel othered and ashamed of my body.”
In “Heavyweights,” Gerry seems to find his own kehilla with the other boys at Camp Hope as they try to take down Tony. And isn’t that just a thing of beauty?
Stream “Heavyweights” on Disney+.
6. The Parent Trap (1998)
Camp Walden for Girls has the makings of a Jewish summer camp — despite the fact that it’s clearly too WASPy to actually be a Jewish summer camp. But where “The Parent Trap” scores even more Jewy aura points is via Chessy. No, the character is not explicitly Jewish. But, Hey Alma contributor Hannah Dylan Pasternak argues that Chessy is Annie and Hallie’s surrogate Jewish mom, a foil to the prim-and-proper Elizabeth James. In other words, she’s a Yiddishe Mama.
“The stereotype of the Jewish mother has, ironically, grown more unflattering over time, though you’d think it might be otherwise. What now is ‘a middle-aged woman with a nasal New York accent and ample bosom’ began as the Yiddishe Mama: “a sentimentalized figure, a good mother and homemaker, known for her strength and creativity, entrepreneurialism and hard work, domestic miracles and moral force,” as explained on My Jewish Learning,” Pasternak wrote.
She went on,”As the Forward puts it, the Yiddishe Mama was ‘the very essence of love, of warmth, of selfless devotion. She wanted nothing for her children but their health and happiness. She would defend them fearlessly and stand up for them. She was the mother who every child wanted to have, and every child who had a mother like her longed for her when she was gone.'”
If that doesn’t describe Chessy, I don’t know what does.
Stream “The Parent Trap” on Disney+.
5. Holes (2003)
In the book “Holes,” Jewish author Louis Sachar didn’t make the Yelnats family Jewish. But the movie is an entirely different story. Stanley Yelnats IV and his father and grandfather are played by Jewish actors Shia LaBeouf, Henry Winkler and Nathan Davis. (Shia LaBeouf doesn’t identify as Jewish anymore, but at the time “Holes” was filmed he did.) Moreover, Stanley Yelnats Jr. (Davis) frequently uses the Yiddish term of endearment “boychik” throughout the movie. The director Andrew Davis said he “detected a Jewish family” when he initially read the book, thus sealing the idea that the film version of the Yelnats family is Jewish.
Camp Greenlake, the juvenile delinquent camp Stanley is sent to, really does not have Jewish vibes. However, when Stanley and his friend Zero (played by Khleo Thomas, who has Moroccan Jewish ancestry) escape the camp, they proceed to wander through the Texas desert and camp in the wilderness for awhile. This goes without saying but wandering through the desert is a peak Jewish activity.
4. Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020)
Unlike all the other films on this list, “Crip Camp” is a documentary. And its setting, Camp Jened, is a real place. While the summer camp in the Catskills was not Jewish — Camp Jened was a camp for disabled kids and adults — a number of the campers and staff were. This includes activist Judith Heumann (may her memory be a blessing). Many regard Judith as the mother of the disability rights movement for her leadership with Disabled in Action, the Center for Independent Living, the historic 504 sit-in of 1977 and her work in the Clinton and Obama administrations. Judith Heumann and Camp Jened embodied tikkun olam and thus this list would be incomplete without “Crip Camp.”
Stream “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution” on Netflix.
3. Theater Camp (2023)
Remember when I mentioned that Molly Gordon basically said that summer camp is Jewish-coded? Well, she was talking about the movie “Theater Camp” and how the film was largely based on co-star Ben Platt’s experience at Camp Ramah in California.
“We have this whole conceit about teachers performing a night time performance for the kids that was ripped directly from my camp experience. Going away to summer camp, especially on the East coast, is a bit of a Jewish conceit. You can feel all our history in the fabric of it,” Ben told Letterboxd.
“Although the film itself barely mentions Judaism, ‘Theater Camp’ feels inherently Jewish,” Hey Alma contributor Mara Kleinberg wrote in 2023. “With lines like ‘she missed sitting shiva for her grandmother to be here’ (referring to an audition) and last names like Cohen and Rubinsky — not to mention the history of Jews in theater and the way that Jewish sleepaway camp has been a coming-of-age space for Jewish kids and teens — this film tells that Jewish story while allowing others a space to share theirs, too.”
Plus, who doesn’t love that one of AdirondACTS’ original musicals is titled “The Hanukkah Divorce”?!
Stream “Theater Camp” on Hulu.
2. Dirty Dancing (1987)
No, “Dirty Dancing” isn’t technically a summer camp movie. However, the movie takes places at Kellerman’s resort and resorts are basically sleepaway camp for adults. So “Dirty Dancing,” which screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein wrote based on her experience at Grossinger’s Resort, absolutely deserves a place on this list.
“There are countless Jewish references throughout the film… which is about a Jewish family spending their summer in The Catskills,” Hey Alma contributor Toby Herman wrote in 2023. “Owner Max Kellerman reminisces about ‘Bubbe and Zayde serving the first pasteurized milk to the boarders.’ The wait staff is basically comprised of Jewish Ivy Leaguers like Robbie Gould (who sucks, PS). And over the PA system we hear that Rabbi Morris Sherman is holding a symposium on ‘The Psychology of Insult Comedians.'”
Plus, the Kellerman’s kitchen randomly has a ton of Streit’s matzah products! While it’s unclear why the kitchen has Passover food during the summer, Herman aptly surmises, “Perhaps the whole thing is a wink to how Jewish ‘Dirty Dancing’ is at its core.”
Stream “Dirty Dancing” on Prime Video.
1. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
Coming in at the number one most Jewish summer camp movie on our list is, of course, “Wet Hot American Summer.” The 2001 teen comedy was written by Jews David Wain and Michael Showalter and was based on their real-life experiences at Camp Wise and Camp Modin — both Jewish sleepaway camps. Thus, even though Camp Firewood is never explicitly named as a Jewish summer camp, there are a ton of hints.
The camp DJ Arty reveals that he has his own radio show for his Jewish day school in the Chevy Chase/Bethesda, Maryland area, a Borscht Belt comedian performs at the final night talent show and apparently a lot of campers have Jewish last names. Just think of the moment when camp director Beth makes up fake camper names and says, “The following campers need to put their trunks out so the early bus to Boston can pick them up at 7:30 a.m.: Amanda Klein, Jessica Azaria, Ira… Stevenberg, Sol Zimmer… stein… uh, David… Ben Gurion…”
Plus, the film perfectly captures the wood plank cabin aesthetic and near-constant occurrence of counselors hooking up and ignoring campers.
Join Hey Alma on August 20 in NYC for a screening of “Wet Hot American Summer.”
Or, stream “Wet Hot American Summer” on Prime Video.
Welcome to Hey Alma’s 2024 Camp Week! We’re celebrating the unique experience that is Jewish summer camp. Check back in all week long for personal essays, pop culture moments and great memes that encapsulate Jewish summer camp.
